Wireless-telegraph repeater.



PATENT'ED JAN.'1'3, 1903.

H. SHOEMAKER.

WIRELESS TELEGRAPH REPEATER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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HARRY SHOEMAKER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MARIE V. GEHRING AND THE CONSOLIDATED WIRELESS TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IRELESS=TELEGRAPH REPEATER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 718,535, dated January 1.3, 1903.

Serial No, 111,089. (No model.)

To aZZ whmn it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, HARRY SHOEMAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Wireless-Telegraph Repeater, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrical signaling, especially those systems in which electrical radiant energy is impressed upon the natural media at the transmitter and received at the receiving-station from the natural media and transformed into intelligible messages.

More particularly, it relates to a wirelesstelegraph repeater whose object is to make it possible to signal between stations more widely separated than heretofore by interpolating between such stations a repeating-station which receives radiant energy from the transmitting-station.

More specifically, my invention comprises means for entirely insulating the Wave-responsive device at the repeating-station before the retransmitted energy is produced, and at the instant the retransmitted energy is produced the wave-responsive device (in.

this case a coherer) has not yet been restored to its normal state. Instantly upon the cessation of the retransmitted energy, however, the coherer is tapped by a hammer controlled by magnets of high time constants, such high time constants being resorted to to insure the completion of the retransmitted spark before the tapping of the coherer-tube.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic view of the circuits of my repeating-station.

A is the aerial conductor, which serves both as the receiving and transmitting conductor of the repeating-station. The received impulses impinging uponv the aerial conductor A are conducted to contact 1 on the insulating member 2, which is pivoted at 3 and whose upper portion 4: serves asthe armature for the two pairs of magnets 5 and 6. At the moment of receiving said contact 1 is in engagement with contact 7, from which a conductor 8 leads to contact 9 on the insulated member 10, which is operated by armature 11 of the magnet 12 and by spring 13.

When receiving, contact 9 is in engagement with contact 14 and conductor 15 leads to the right-hand terminal of the coherer 16, whose remaining terminal connects by conductor 17 with the contact 18, which during the receiving period is in engagement with contact 19, carried by the insulating member 20, which is operated both by armature 21 of the magnets 22 and by the spring 23.

A conductor 24 leads from contact 19 to the ground-plate G. Upon the reception of waves from the transmitter of the signaling system the resistance of the coherer 16 instantly diminishes and in consequence permits the current from battery 25 to pass through itself and the coils of relay 26. The relay-tongue 27 then contacts with 28, closing the circuit, including the battery 29 and the magnets 12 and 22, before mentioned.

When magnets 12 and 22 are energized, their respective armatures 11 and 21 are attracted in opposition to the springs 13 and 23, respectively, thereby breaking the circuit of the coherer at 9 and 14 and also at 18 and 19, thereby entirely insulating the coherer.

After insulating the coherer armatures 11 and 21 close the circuit through their respective contacts 30 and 31 by engagement with contacts 32 and 33, respectively. The engagement ofsaid contacts then closes two circuits, the first of which is as follows: from battery 34 to armature 11, contacts 30 32 33 31, ar-

mature 21, conductor 35, magnets 36, conductor 37, conductor 38, magnets 6, coils of the relay 39, conductor 40, back to battery 34. In consequence magnets 36, coil 6, and the relay 39 are energized. The energization of magnets 36 causes the attraction of armature 41, which operates to move the contact 42 into the path of the reciprocating contact 43. This then closes the circuit of the transformer whose primary is shown at 4:4 and through which there then passes a current from battery 45. At 16 is shown the secondary of the transformer whose terminals connect by conductors 47 and 48 with the knobs of the sparkgap S. Conductor 48 also connects with ground-plate G. Conductor 47 is joined to the contact 49, which is adapted for engagement with contact 1, and thereby puts the spark-gap S into communication with the aerial conductor A. The energization of-the magnets 6 causes the attraction of armature 4 and engagement of contacts 1 and 4.9, thereby putting the spark-gap S into communication with the aerial conductor A, which then radiates the retransmitted energy.

The second circuit controlled by armatures 11 and 2lis composed as follows: from battery 34, through armature 11, contacts 30 32 33 31, armature 21, conductor 35, magnets 36, conductor 37,conductor 50,through magnets 51 of thetapper-conductor 52,backto battery 34. As previously stated, magnets 51 are sluggish in their action, and the operation above described has all taken place before the magnets have suiiiciently built up to tap the tube 16. Upon such tapping, however, the tube, which during all this period has remained conducting, becomes non-conducting,and the circuit controlled by the relay 26 is opened, and in consequence magnets 12 and 22 release their armatures 11 and 21, breaking the circuits controlled by contacts 30, 32, 33, and 31. The result is the cessation of radiated energy and also that tapper 51 ceases to operate at the same time tongue 53 of the relay 39 is released and makes contact with 54:, thereby closing the circuit embracing the battery 55 and magnets 5. The result is the attraction of armature 4 and putting contact 1 of the aerial conductor A into communication with contact 7 preparatory to receiving the next train of waves from the receiving-station of the system. Upon the arrival of the next train of Waves the operation just described is repeated, because, due to the release of armatures 11 and 21, contacts 9 and 14: and 18 and 19 are again in engagement, thereby putting the coherer into communication with the aerial conductor. It

is seen, therefore, that the weak energy received from the transmitting-station of the system controls the apparatus to reproduce energy of sufficient strength to affect the receiving apparatus at the distant receiver of the system, which receiver, however, is at too great a distance from the transmitter of the system to be afiected by energy therefrom.

The interposition of the repeating-station,

however, makes it possible to keep the transmitting and receiving stations in communication with each other.

I do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangement of circuits herein shown and described, for it is to be understood that by obvious other combinations the same results may be obtained and that I may vary the action of the several circuits in my system as to their time constants, so as to produce the result herein described. It is further to be understood that where I have described a circuit as controlled by the energization of magnets said circuits may be controlled by the denergization of said magnets by properly arranging the circuits in relation thereto.

What I claim is- 1. A wireless-telegraph repeater comprising a Wave-responsive device and relay controlled thereby; a circuit controlled by said relay for insulating said Wave-responsive device and for simultaneously closing the circuits of means for restoring said wave-responsive device, and means for the generation of retransmitted energy.

2. A wireless-telegraph repeater comprising a wave-responsive device, means for generating and retransmitting energy a definite interval of time after the reception of energy by said wave-responsive device and means for isolating said wave-responsive device duringthe operation of the retransmitting means.

3. In a wireless-telegraph repeater, an aerial conductor, a Wave-responsive device associated therewith, means controlled by said wave-responsive device for placing said conductor into communication with a transmitter, and means for isolating said Wave-responsive device during the operation of the transmitter.

HARRY SHOEMAKER.

Witnesses:

MAE HOFMANN, ALICE T. BURROUGH. 

